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Tampabay.com: Sports
- Largo girls fight back, edge Countryside on buzzer-beater
By Keith Niebuhr, Times Staff Writer
Monday, December 14, 2009CLEARWATER — Kendra Brown lost track of the ball not long after it left her hands, but within moments the 5-foot senior guard knew it had gone into the hoop.
"I heard the screams," Brown said.
Brown's 3-pointer from the right wing as time expired Monday night was a shot she won't soon forget. Not only did it give Largo a thrilling 42-41 victory over Countryside, but it was the first winning buzzer-beater of her life.
It came at the conclusion of what had been a forgettable game.
"I was playing below average," said Brown, who finished with five points.
For half of the game, so was the entire Largo (8-4) team, which was getting outrebounded, outexecuted and outhustled by a gritty Countryside (6-2) squad.
Behind the play of forward Savannah Stona (10 points) and guard Amanda Blanton (nine points), the Cougars led 16-7 after one quarter and 20-14 at the half.
"They're a smart team," Packers coach Kristopher Foote said. "And they were playing well."
The tide turned in the second half, thanks largely to Largo's trapping defense, which forced turnover after turnover and allowed the Packers to charge into the lead early in the fourth. Countryside quickly recovered by going back in front and was ahead by five with 1:30 left.
Two foul shots by Gloria Reneau tied it at 39 with 12.3 seconds left, but then Countryside's Aly Grossman drove the length of the floor for a go-ahead layup at the six-second mark.
During a timeout, Foote instructed Packers guard Brandi Feazell (14 points) to drive and shoot, or pass if she was guarded. When the latter happened, she dished to an open Brown, who quickly fired off her picture-perfect shot.
"I'm blown away," Brown said. "It feels great."
- Mitchell boys even score with Pasco in 2-0 win
By Izzy Gould, Times Staff Writer
Monday, December 14, 2009TRINITY — The momentum shift came on a patch of grass within striking distance of Pasco's goal.
Just beyond the Pirates' 18-yard line, Pasco keeper Gilbert Tanguma was whistled for handling the ball outside the goal box.
Mitchell midfielder Max Rockwell took advantage, blasting a free kick through a wall of legs. The shot pinballed through to the foot of Mustangs winger Robert Coleman, who knocked in the first goal in the 47th minute.
The goal proved to be plenty as Mitchell climbed back into the Class 4A, District 7 race Monday with a 2-0 win against Pasco.
"That was definitely a momentum changer," Rockwell said of being awarded the free kick. "… It was a grudge match. We knew they would come out hard. We had to match their intensity. On any given day when we play our best we can beat anyone. We proved it today."
The Mustangs (10-1-1) avenged their only loss of the season with a solid second half that only improved as the game went on.
Mitchell added a goal late, a two-on-one opportunity. Maxwell blasted a shot saved by a diving Tanguma, which deflected wide to Alex Wegener for a 2-0 lead.
It was a turnaround from the first half, when Pasco appeared to control the pace with offensive opportunities.
"We came out nervous, I guess, because this is the only team that's beat us this year," Mitchell coach Oscar Ubillus said. "They were scared it was going to happen again. You could tell in their body language. I told them to relax and have fun. … That's what happened in the second half."
Keeper Josh Berres kept the Mustangs in it early making key saves, seven in all. Pasco (8-1-1) came at him from all angles, a two-on-one, a one-on-one and straightaway blast and a header off a corner kick, to name a few.
"The first half, the saves he made kept us from going down a goal or two," Rockwell said. "He played a big part, as did everyone else."
Izzy Gould can be reached at igould@tampabay.com or (813) 421-3886.
- USF Bulls coach Jim Leavitt can learn from cautionary tale
By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
Monday, December 14, 2009TAMPA — The story was denied from almost the moment it was told. It was denied by one of the principals, and it was denied by one of the sources. And certainty is hard to find when the truth becomes a moving target.
The basic premise is that there was an emotional incident in the South Florida locker room during halftime of last month's Louisville game. Fanhouse.com claims USF coach Jim Leavitt grabbed special teams player Joel Miller by the throat and struck him in the face with his hand. Miller's father says the story is exaggerated, and Leavitt says it is a blatant lie.
Personally, I have no idea what happened. And other than a handful of participants and observers, I'm not sure anyone will ever feel completely comfortable that they know the absolute, unspun truth.
There are some things about the denials that don't make sense. There are some inconsistencies. And there have been whispers around USF about the alleged incident for a couple of weeks.
The university said in a statement Monday evening that it was reviewing the matter, but, as it stands right now, my guess is Leavitt will be exonerated shortly. The evidence was sketchy in the beginning, and it grew even less steady as the day went on.
Yet, I'm not sure the circumstances that led to this situation should be summarily dismissed. Leavitt would do well to consider this a cautionary tale. Perhaps an impetus for quiet reflection.
You will never meet a more passionate, driven man than Jim Leavitt. His ambition, his skills, his desire almost single-handedly took the USF football program from a vague notion to a nationally ranked program in barely more than a decade.
It was his personality, as much as anything else, that took USF to Division I-A, to the Big East Conference and to a string of bowl games quicker than even the most wild-eyed dreamer could have imagined.
But those same traits that made Leavitt a successful college football coach have made him an unattractive person at times. He is terribly impatient. He can be overbearing and arrogant. And he has a tendency to act like a bully.
Does this mean he is guilty of anything inappropriate in the Miller situation?
No, that would be an unwise jump to an unreliable conclusion.
But ask yourself this:
Were you shocked when you first heard the Fanhouse report?
If you've ever seen Leavitt act like a madman on the sideline, it would not be a stretch to imagine him losing control in a locker room. On the very night of this accusation, Leavitt bloodied his face by headbutting a player who was wearing a helmet.
Maybe that's great motivation. Maybe it's a sign of admirable machismo. But it's also a little unhinged. Leavitt does not deny this, but he insists he would never do anything that might harm one of his players.
"The only damage I've ever done is to myself," Leavitt said. "Now there are times when you want to get the attention of your players. And I'm passionate and I'm emotional, and I'm not going to change. And, yeah, I can get pretty stern and strong with players.
"But people who have known me for years and years, know that I would never do anything like what was reported. Not by any means. And it breaks my heart that someone can write something like this, something completely unsubstantiated. The damage is already done. No matter what anybody else says or writes, it's out there forever. And that's what kills me."
The original story, which was written by a former USF beat writer at the Tampa Tribune who has had run-ins with Leavitt, did not clearly point out the exact nature of the alleged incident.
Paul Miller, the player's father, said Monday that the story was "blown out of proportion" and "was a bunch of bull----." He said Leavitt grabbed his son by the shoulder pads and his hand may have slipped and struck him in the neck. Twice.
"I don't think it was malicious intent," Paul Miller said.
But he did acknowledge that his son was troubled by whatever was said or done during halftime of that game. Joel talked to his father about it, and Paul Miller suggested that he take his concerns to Leavitt.
"There was communication between both of them, yes," Paul Miller said. "Joel talked to him first. They weren't on the same page. Coach Leavitt called him back and said, 'Hey, Joel, I need to talk to you.' "
Joel Miller was in a nearby car Monday as his father spoke outside the USF athletic facility, but he declined to comment.
Leavitt says their conversations about the episode centered on Miller's disappointment in his own play and the coach's attempts to bolster the player's confidence.
"I'm not a perfect guy. I do things wrong," Leavitt said. "But I would never do anything like that. People who know me know what kind of love and care I have for my players. Th